1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dental device and also to a method for effectively controlling this device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern medical devices, a plurality of functions of the medical equipment often have to be controlled with the aid of different control devices. For example, in the course of a complex treatment with a plurality of consecutive treatment steps, the operating parameters of the different pieces of equipment are chosen specially for each treatment step. In this connection, both the treatment instruments themselves and also, for example, the patient chair or further auxiliary devices are to be classed as pieces of equipment.
Several publications deal with a simple and effective control of the different functions of medical devices. In this connection, particularly in the case of dental devices, the foot switch is still the most frequently used input device. Further developments of the classic foot switch are, for example, known from EP 0 525 539 A2. In this connection, by way of pressure sensors, the loads on the surface of the foot switch are converted into primary electrical signals, which are converted into control signals by means of signal evaluating electronics and transmitted to a central control unit. In this way, a dental treatment device having a patient chair and a plurality of dental apparatuses is controlled. A dental device described in EP 0 455 852 B1 furthermore has a display device on which all of the important functions of the device are represented. The operating of the different functions is enabled only by a single input instrument, namely a foot switch which is adjustable in two degrees of freedom. The dental device disclosed in EP 0 391 967 B1 also enables a control of all of the operations and auxiliary functions by way of only a single foot switch.
Because dental treatment areas are being constructed in ever more complex and diverse ways, the control of all of the functions of a treatment area by a single foot switch is more and more difficult to manage. The possibilities of a foot switch as control device are namely restricted because of the operation with the feet and the degree of freedom available. In order to alter a single parameter, it is often necessary to select a series of sub-menus, until finally the desired alteration can be carried out. But the numerous input steps required in order to do this and the time expenditure linked therewith cannot necessarily be seen as very user-friendly.
The medical device described in DE 296 21 939 U1 therefore has an input device which contains a pointer device, preferably a mouse pad with pressure and position sensor technology, by way of which the different functions of the device, the corresponding parameters of which are represented on a display unit, can be controlled by hand. A foot switch is used as a further input apparatus, by way of which foot switch the control of the treatment instrument being used at the time takes place.
Finally, the position-detection of medical treatment instruments is known from neurosurgery. In operations carried out in this field, it is often essential to know the exact position of the treatment instrument relative to the anatomy of the patient in order to be able to carry out the operation with very high precision at the place to be treated. Neurosurgical treatment devices therefore basically have a treatment instrument and also a display unit and means for detecting the position of the treatment instrument, the position of the treatment instrument relative to the anatomy of the patient being permanently represented on the display unit during treatment. The monitoring and representing of the position of the treatment instruction takes place by way of the control software of the treatment device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,623 proposes expanding the control software of a neurosurgical treatment device in such a way that the control signals permanently output by the treatment instrument can temporarily also be used to operate a menu represented on the display unit. In this way, different functions of the treatment device can be selected. Because the hardware and software prerequisites for detecting the position of the treatment instrument or for converting the spatial position into control signals are present anyway, only slight changes to the control software need to be made for this purpose.
In contrast to the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to expand a dental device in terms of hardware in such a way that conventional treatment instruments can additionally also be used as input devices for controlling the entire device.
The object of the present invention is thus to present a dental device in which the numerous functions of the equipment can be controlled in a way which is new, as user-friendly as possible, and effective.
The object is achieved by a device which has a treatment instrument, a central control device, a display unit and a detector which detects the spacial position of the treatment instrument, with the control device being arranged to convert the detected spacial position of the treatment instrument into coordinates for controlling a pointer in the display unit.
The device has at least one treatment instrument, a central control device and also a display unit, on which, for example, different operating parameters and functions of the device are represented. In accordance with the invention, the device furthermore has means for detecting the spatial position of the treatment instrument. In order to alter certain operating parameters represented on the display unit or in order to select a function, in a control mode, the spatial position of the treatment instrument is then converted into control signals for a pointer which is movable on the display unit. During the control mode, the treatment instrument thus takes over the function of an input device, with the method of functioning corresponding to that of a computer mouse, so that the entire dental device can be operated without contact and comfortably. In order to call up a certain function or to alter an operating parameter, it is therefore no longer necessary to put down the treatment instrument in order to actuate a special input instrument. As a result of this, the danger of contaminating an input instrumentxe2x80x94for example a keyboardxe2x80x94which is often very difficult to clean or disinfect, is also avoided.
In this connection, by the treatment instrument referred to above is meant all of the instruments of a dental treatment area. In addition to the usual drill, this can be, for example, an intra-oral camera, a measuring head or suchlike. Fundamental in this connection is that a position-determining of these instruments on the basis of their method of functioning is not actually possible or necessary, but that in accordance with the invention, however, they can now additionally fulfil the function of an input instrument.
Developments of the invention are also disclosed herein. Thus, all known techniques can be used in order to establish the spatial position of the pointer instrument, for example the position-determining by means of ultrasonic pulses that is described in the laid-open publications EP 0 789 320 A2, EP 0 526 015 A1 and DE 38 38 605 A1. Preferably, however, the position is detected by emitting and receiving of infrared radiation. For example, an infrared light source can be provided on the display unit for this purpose. The radiation emitted by this light source is then reflected by a passive marker (reflector) mounted on the treatment instrument and detected by an optical sensorxe2x80x94for example a camera or a 4-field photodiodexe2x80x94which is in turn provided on the display unit. As an alternative to this, an active infrared light source can also be arranged directly on the treatment instrument, in which case the light sources on the display unit can then be dispensed with. The coordinates of the light source or of the reflector on the treatment instrument that are detected by the optical sensor are then converted into Cartesian coordinates on the display unit, as a result of which the position of the pointer can be altered by simple movement of the treatment instrument.
Because, in accordance with the invention, the treatment instrument is to take over the function of a mouse, it is advantageous if, in addition to the signals for moving the pointer, further control signals, which correspond, for example, to the pressing of a left-hand or right-hand mouse button, can be generated. The additional use of a foot switch, for example, can be provided for this purpose.
In a basic embodiment of the present invention, it is sufficient if only one active (infrared light source) or passive (reflector) marker is mounted on the treatment instrument. The possibilities for generating further control signals are, however, increased if there is at least one further marker on the treatment instrument, because the possibility is now given of detecting in addition to the position of the instrument the spatial orientation thereof as well. The spatial orientation or alterations thereof can then be taken into account when generating additional control signals. If three markers are mounted on the treatment instrument, the precise 3-dimensional position of the instrument can be detected and used for control purposes.
As an alternative to this, there is the possibility of generating with the markers on the treatment instrument a signal which can change over time, which signal is detected by the camera and interpreted as an additional control signal. This signal which can change over time can, for example, be formed by different on/off sequences of the light source or the reflection properties of the reflector. The triggering of such sequences can, for example, take place by way of a switch mounted on the instrument. Likewise, by way of a signal which can change over time, the signal-to-noise ratio of the system can be improved, because the influence of other infrared sources (for example reflections at a lamp or a button) is minimised in this way.
Advantageously, the use of a conventional mouse is still to be possible in parallel with the use of the treatment instrument as the input device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a novel method for controlling a dental device which has at least one treatment instrument, a central control device and a display unit. This novel method involves the detection of the spacial positioning of the treatment instrument and the conversion of this positioning into coordinates for controlling and operating a pointer on the display unit.